"Can I ask you a question?"

The trucker is a bit taken back as he's ripped from his driving zen. Almost like Aofil startled him, "Yeah, sure."

"How has this city been after you monsters surfaced?"

The trucker flicks on the truck's full beams while turning out onto the highway towards Monster City. The beams turn the dark highway outside into day, "You lived here before?"

"Yeah, in the outskirts, but I moved away."

The trucker glances over to Aofil with three narrowed eyes, "Because we monsters surfaced?"

"It's not because of why you're thinking. I'm not racist," Aofil defends, "I just had to get some distance away. The reason why is, complicated."

"Heard something similar once I started looking for a job up here," the trucker replies with his eyes still narrowed, "It wasn't because I was a monster or anything, but the position had already been filled. They were happy that I applied, and then they hung up on me as fast as possible. It wasn't until a couple of months after the trial that things finally calmed down enough for someone to give me an interview."

Aofil cocks their head towards Asriel, "I know the prince and his family, so take that however you like it."

"True, I guess," the trucker agrees, "So why did you move away if you know the Dreemurrs? I know I wouldn't if I knew the Royal Family."

"Yeah, but I'm not you."

Not the answer the trucker wanted, but it's the one he got, "Fair enough then."

The trucker shuts off the full beams for a moment as he spots another car approaching. It passes, and then the road is again illuminated like it was high noon as the trucker activates the full beams again.

"Were you part of the riots?" Aofil asks after some debating whether they should or not.

"Riot, there was only one," the trucker corrects while adjusting his grip on the steering wheel, "It wasn't," and sighs deeply, "the smartest thing I've done. Can't believe that I actually did it. Looking back at it. Damn, what a mess. The Surface was supposed to be our future. It is now, but man was there a bigger mountain than Mt Ebott in the way before we could..."

The trucker loses his thread of thought as the memories rushes through his mind. Aofil puts up a calm hand, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, it's fine," the trucker massages his lobe with his hand, "The more I do, the more I feel that I can put it behind me. I just need a minute."

Aofil nods, "Of course."

The trucker pauses to collect his thoughts. As he strokes his chin, Aofil ears pick up something else, but from the other side. They turn to see Asriel tapping the side of his phone, causing the guitar riff to grow in strength from his ears. If Aofil can hear it it's way too loud, more so probably in Asriel's ears.

Or are they being racist despite saying that they're not?

Aofil spots Asriel's wide opened eyes in the reflection from the passenger window. The reflection is faint, but it's plenty enough for Aofil to see the fear in Asriel's eyes. He must also be remembering.

"I was so," the trucker manages just those words before having to calm himself further, "angry. First against the monster judges. Then against," the trucker shoots a look over to Asriel on the other side. Asriel curls up further. He must've either heard it or felt it, "and then," the trucker's eyes move to Aofil. He tears them off after a second to return them to the road, "against you humans. With all that was said, the verdict, how Asgore and the monster judges acted. I-I thought we would be sealed back up again. I panicked, we all panicked."

The trucker scoffs, "The worst part is that, from what I heard, you humans felt the same about the trial. It just escalated so quickly. No one had an outside point of view, everyone was involved," the trucker tilts his head to Aofil, "Right?"

"Yeah," Aofil lies.

"And then, outside the courthouse. In that moment we had all forgotten how weak we were compared to you humans. If it had been just another minute or so, we probably would've realized. But then, someone threw the..."

"Shut up!" Asriel roars and throws his hands down on the seat. The trucker jolts away from him, and the truck swirls for a second before he regains control over it. The trucker stares at Asriel with regret surging through him, but to his surprise, Asriel lowers his own head, "Sorry..." and returns to staring out the passenger window, but not before tapping the side of his phone again.

Aofil lets some time pass before continuing, "What happened afterwards?"

The trucker looks over to Asriel, but Aofil beckons his view towards them instead. With a sigh he gives in, "Then, all hell broke loose. I don't know how the war was before the Barrier, but we all caught a glimpse of what it could've been. You humans were cautious at the beginning. Probably because you didn't know about your souls compared to ours. Someone in the monster crowd shouted that we should use our magic."

"Did you?"

"Yes, and I hit one. It didn't hurt them though. I was just as scared as the human was after being hit. He patted himself to try and figure out where he was hit, but he didn't find anything. No wound, no nothing. And then," the trucker snaps his fingers, "just like that, it turned. We scattered, those who could flew away, and the rest of us were chased."

"Damn, for how long?"

"Have you lived under a rock or something? Asgore happened, remember? His shout that almost broke every window in the city, and his speech afterwards. Is this how the monsters would start their new chapter? The same way the old one ended? With blood and dust? The human lawyer as well. He was the father of one of the kids murdered, and if he could accept the justice, then why couldn't the humans? The moment of stunned silence was enough for the police and Royal Guard to charge in and take control over the situation. I managed to not get caught, but it was a close one. Undyne caught me with her eye, but she was too busy with another monster."

Aofil nods, "I see."

"Is this the first time you've heard about it?" the trucker wonders very suspiciously, "There was at least a month of constant news coverage afterwards. Eventually it died down. Hell, lucky that it did die down. Otherwise I don't know what I would've done."

Good thing Aofil wasn't part of the trial. If Asgore had their curse as an ace this time again then the riot might've become genocide. And then Frisk would've been forced to reset, and then…

No! Aofil shakes the thought out of their head. There' no need, it's fine, in the past. Don't think about it. For their own sake, just don't give it a second more.

"So," the trucker starts again after a heavy sulk of his shoulders, "yeah, it was pretty bad. Luckily no one was killed," the trucker scoffs when he realizes, "Probably wouldn't have been a human though if anyone was to die. It's a bit scary knowing that anyone of you could wipe us all out should you wish. No human I've met I feel would ever do it, but still."

"A human could wipe out the human race as well," Aofil adds with a tilt of their head.

"Not as easily though."

"You think anyone would?"

"I didn't mean it as I don't trust you, or that I'm channeling up magic every time I see a human."

"Not that it would be effective, like you said," Aofil reminds.

"That too. It's just," the trucker searches for the right word, "that I'm aware of it, you know? Would you be safe around a human with, let's say, a gun?"

Aofil scratches their head, "That extreme?"

The trucker debates with himself whether or not it was, "No? I don't know. I can't really describe it. To be honest, I feel a bit uncomfortable talking about it."

"Because I'm a.."

"Yes," the trucker interrupts, "because a monster would also know why. I'm sorry..."

"It's fine, I promise. I didn't move away because of you monsters, and you don't have to explain why."

The trucker nods, "Sounds good."

"So," Aofil decides to change the subject before the air in the cab freezes them all to death, "the city?"

"Right, the city. From what I've seen, and after everything had cooled down after the trial, it's mostly been better and better. More monsters walking around, and more humans with them. There's still some tensions around, but not nearly as much as it was after the riot. Like cooked instead of dry spaghetti."

Aofil's half tempted to look over their shoulder to make sure that Papyrus isn't sitting in Toriel's car, but they decide against it.

"I can only really talk from a monster's perspective. So, if we take me for an example," the trucker puts a hand on his chest. No soul though, which is good, "me. I surfaced a couple of months or so after the Barrier broke. All my life I'd longed to see the sun, and when I finally saw it."

Aofil lets a smile form, "Beautiful?"

"No, I couldn't see for an hour or so. I worked as a surveyor in the Crystal Caves. Not much light there, but your eyes adapted. Had a bit of help with magic, as well. I could spot the smallest crystal in the darkest and smallest cranny."

"And you forgot to remove it before reaching the Surface?"

The trucker smirks at Aofil, "You're allowed to laugh, I do it too when I think back to it. Anyways, I had help with finding somewhere to live. Asgore had set up some contacts with the real estate agency. Probably used some of his golden coins and tongue, and I found myself in an apartment with a room dedicated to a porcelain seat I had no idea what to use it for."

Aofil chuckles through their nose, "A toilet."

"Now I know what it is, but back then."

"If it's not too personal to ask?"

"What I thought it was? Man, what was it again?" the trucker leans his jaw on his knuckles, "Oh yeah, a washer of sorts. Imagine my reaction when I found out that there was an actual washer when I turned my head."

Aofil can barely hold their face together.

"Yeah, exactly like that. Only with confusion instead of laughter."

"I'm not..." Aofil says very carefully as to not have their face explode into a guffaw.

"Like I said, it's fine. I think it's hilarious too. So, after some time to get comfortable with my new apartment, I was told to look for a job. So," the trucker's face sinks, "I did. Tried might be a better word though."

Aofil forces their face to calm down. It was okay before, but laughing now would be the worst thing to do. The trucker again needs some time to collect himself before he takes a breath.

"I can't count how many times I heard the same excuse, but worded differently. Every day for what felt like a year. Hooray, I had surfaced, but I was happier in the Underground. No friends of mine wanted to surface, at least not as early as I did. No family either. There was just handful of us during the first wave. Made a bit of a stir in the community. From what I could gather, the humans had just barely come to terms with the Dreemurrs, Undyne and Alphys, and the skeleton brothers, and now another group of monsters emerge."

The trucker pauses to read the distance left to Monster City from a passing sign. They're soon there, "So I felt like all eyes were on me every time I stepped outside. When I went for groceries humans would lean in over their carts. When I met another monster it was just a brief relief, for in the end it all came down to the same conversation."

The trucker takes one hand off the wheel, "Have you found a job?"

He puts it back and lifts off the other, "No, have you?"

And throws both in the air, "No."

"Sounds like it was a tough time for you," Aofil comments, "Feeling that everything and one are against you. Having no family or friends around to support you," and nods faintly, "I know that feeling."

"And it just kept building and building. Every little thing that I could blame on the humans, I did. No job, racist humans. No family, hostile humans. Stubbed my toe, human furniture. It just kept adding up until the riot where it all," the trucker flings his arms out, almost knocking over Aofil, "went to complete shit."

"Sunshine on your body, but no sunshine in your mind."

The trucker returns his arms to the wheel, "That's a good way of putting it."

"But then?"

"Then, the air around us monsters and you humans changed. Like a switch was thrown somewhere, but we had to almost go for each others neck to flick it."

"We've lived together for longer than we've been separated," Aofil shrugs, "perhaps we needed something to show us that we aren't so different."

The trucker thinks for a bit before looking back at Aofil with a conflicted expression covering his face, "And violence is what we both have in common?"

"Every mayor event has been because of violence. The war, and then, at least on our side, violence throughout the ages. Some of our biggest scientific discoveries were because of war."

The trucker glances over to Asriel, and then back to Aofil, "The Barrier though. It was because Frisk befriended instead of killing that we could be free. I didn't meet them, but my friend Aaron told me that they knew exactly what to do to make friends."

"I guess that's were it changed," Aofil agrees, even though they know that the truth is far from that, "Only took six human kids dying to make it a reality though."

"Sev..", the trucker catches his tongue, "Yes, six. Frisk is still alive."

Judging by how hard Asriel is struggling to calm himself down after the trucker unknowingly reminding him of the seventh, Aofil decides to not fuel the Chara fire further. There's an additionally million reasons why it's a horrible idea too, yet this one seems to be the most prominent at the moment. Aofil tries their damnedest not to let on that they notice neither Asriel's angry huff, or the trucker's worrisome sigh, "But I guess the trial was our outlet for them, and you all the years Underground. We cleaned the slate."

"I don't know about the Underground though."

"And I don't know about the six kids though, but let's not delve further into it. The riot was more than enough tension to last a lifetime."

The trucker agrees that it's a good idea with a stoic nod, "Eventually I did find a job," he pats the top of the dashboard, "this job. There's still humans that are taken back that a monster comes to help their car, but it's more of a pleasant surprise nowadays. Like when you walk into an MTT store to find humans working there. It's still not perfectly normal in my head, but it's getting there."

"Speaking of not completely perfectly normal," Aofil intersects, "Are fire monsters usually cooks? I know of Grillby in Snowdin. Or were in Snowdin? I don't really know if he has surfaced."

"Neither do I, sorry."

"It's fine. But anyways, I visited one of those windows in the walls at the downtown food court. You know the one?"

The trucker searches his mind for a bit, "The one with that snail shop close to it?"

"Yes."

"Oh yeah, I think I know which window you're talking about. It takes longer for them to get your drink than it takes to cook the meal."

Aofil snaps their fingers, "Exactly. I was handed my food before I managed to put away my wallet."

The trucker's face lights up bright red, "Not something you humans are used too?"

Aofil is washed over by green, but it fades as the truck drives through the intersection, "Not really. The quickest food I've had takes at least a couple of minutes, and that's not really something you should eat regularly."

"Down in the Underground the most expensive food you can find is prepared by fire monsters. Each one gives it their special flavor depending on their mood and magic usage. Or at least, that's what the sign says outside the restaurant in MTT Hotel," the trucker admits with a hawk.

Aofil scoffs through their lips, "Sounds like Mettaton alright."

The trucker cocks his head at the remark, but he returns it to himself after a second or so. He bends down over the wheel to read the street signs, and mutters to himself as he tries to figure out where he is, and where he's supposed to be going. After a tired sigh he looks over to Asriel, but decides against asking. Aofil would love to help, but they know less than the trucker.

After some wrong turns and silent cursing the trucker finally finds it, "Ah, here it is," he informs and turns onto…

"Royal Street," Aofil reads out loud.

Why are they surprised?

The castle is... No, wait, that's not a castle. Not even a mansion. Granted, it's a big house, but not a mansion. Seems rather unroyal for the royals. As the truck approaches Aofil spots some large silhouettes moving closer to the door through the lit windows. The truck pulls up to the driveway, and the front door opens. The trucker exits the cab and begins lowering Toriel's car back down to the ground.

Aofil nudges Asriel with their elbow, "You're home."

He wakes up with a jolt. When he sees Aofil his face twists, but it calms down after a handful of seconds. He exhales, and drags his hands over his face. Aofil follows him out of the cab.

"Why didn't you stop?"

Aofil couldn't really hear as they were busy closing the door, "Sorry?"

Asriel removes the earbuds from his ears, "Why did you continue talking even though I asked you to stop?"

Aofil searches their mind for a brief moment, "Was it really asking?" they themselves ask with a raised and confused eyebrow.

Asriel bundles his earbuds into his shirt pocket, "Nevermind," and heads up the gravel path.

Asgore meets him halfway and ruffles his head. Asriel gives a nod to Asgore's hello, but nothing more. Not even Toriel gets a proper greeting, just a nod and a shrug after she asks something Aofil can't make out from where they're standing.

"My king!" the trucker almost snaps his spine in two as he bows down. Asgore stops dead in his track, perplexed. He looks at Aofil and shrugs with a hand towards the trucker before beckoning him to stand up normally.

"Golly me, it's I that should bow down. Thank you for sacrificing your time. Please accept my deepest apologies for inconveniencing you at this late an hour," Asgore reaches into his back pocket and flips out his wallet, "So, how much do I owe you?"

The trucker again fumbles with his cap before he manages to take it off. Asgore motions for him to put it back on. The trucker obliges, and Asgore summons a smile so warm that the trucker starts sweating, "I seem to have misplaced my cash," Asgore explains as he shakes his empty wallet, "Could you send an invoice, and add a ten percent inconvenience fee to compensate for this late hour?"

"I-I," the trucker stutters out.

"Fifteen percent it is then," Asgore shoves his wallet back into his pocket, "Thank you."

The sounds from the trucker's mouth can almost be described as words, "Y-yes, of course. B-but where to send it?"

Asgore pats himself for a pen and paper, but doesn't find any. He turns around towards Toriel.

"Excuse me," the trucker intercepts with a raised finger. Once he gets back Asgore's attention he fishes out a notebook and a pen from his pocket. Asgore thanks him warmly, and writes down some credentials. He returns it with an even warmer thanks.

The trucker bows again, and hops back into his truck. Aofil sees him engaging the fans before starting up and driving away.

Asgore waves the trucker off until he can't see him anymore, and then turns to Aofil, "It's been a while."

Aofil quells a yawn, "It has, Asgore."

"I have a bottle of whiskey I haven't really decided if it was worth the money. It's mixed with Golden Flower. I think I need a human tongue to help me decide though since I'm a bit biased," Asgore motions for the house, "Care to join me?"

"I don't know. I should probably find somewhere to sleep."

"There's a guest room available," Toriel informs softly with steps even more so. Aofil can barely hear the gravel underneath her, "But only if you want."

"What about the car?"

"It's far too late in the day to worry about it. Besides, I've already called Alphys," Toriel assures with eyes ever so soft and patient, "So pay no mind to it, it wasn't your fault. Please, let us give you this."

Aofil can't really escape now, can they? But are they really grabbing the bull by the horns if the bull came up to them? Toriel is right on one thing though, it is far too late to worry. Also, Alphys? Aofil looks down at their arm. Is it worth a shot? Perhaps.

What happens afterwards though? What's Aofil's plan for the future? Can Asgore and Toriel help them? Can any? No idea. But, what about their curse? Maybe? In any way, Aofil has to make the first move though, they have to let someone else help them help themselves.

Aofil looks up at Asgore and Toriel, "As long as I'm not being intrusive."

Asgore puts a quiet hand on Aofil's shoulder, and looks down at them with a stern, but comforting pair of eyes, "You know that you'll never be, Aofil."

Toriel's eyes are the same, and they say the same thing. Aofil returns the smile.

"Then, can I have mine on the rocks?"